Janet Arvizo, whose son accused Michael Jackson of child molesting, will be cross-examined by the singer’s lawyer later today in what could be one of the most explosive episodes of the trial to date.

The star’s legal team argues that Mrs Arvizo, 37, is a con artist seeking to profit from the molestation claims. She, by contrast, ended her second day on the witness stand yesterday with a pledge not to sue Mr Jackson - a claim that the defence team will undoubtedly attack.

Thomas Mesereau, Mr Jackson’s lawyer, has repeatedly told jurors that she ripped off other celebrities by exploiting her son Gavin's cancer battle. Michael Cardoza, a commentator following the trial, said it would be war in the Santa Maria courtroom today. "Mesereau is going to latch on like a pit bull and he’s not going to let go until he’s through with her."

Other observers believed the lawyer will take a less confrontational approach, seeking to attack Mrs Arvizo’s credibility without appearing cruel.

She has spent her two days on the stand telling the court how her family were allegedly "kidnapped" by Mr Jackson’s aides to protect them from unnamed "killers". From February 21 to March 10, 2003, she claimed, Mr Jackson’s employees monitored her calls, stood outside her window or her hotel door and would not let her leave their custody.

She said the Jackson team kept her family from fleeing by threatening her parents and her boyfriend. There was never a chance to seek help, said Mrs Arvizo, who says she did not go to the police for fear she would not be believed.

Mr Jackson, 46, is on trial on 10 charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy and keeping the teenager and his family captive. He could be jailed for up to 20 years if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that the family was forced to make a video rejecting claims in Martin Bashir’s TV documentary in which Mr Jackson admitted letting children sleep in his bed.

Mrs Arvizo said she and her children were trying to appease his aides when they praised the singer as a father figure in the video. She alleged she was warned before the interview. "He told me if I put Michael in a bad light he knew where my parents lived," she testified.

She told the court that she was told to say Mr Jackson was "a wonderful father ... to my children".

Ron Zonen, the prosecutor, asked if she really believed the things she said on the video. "I was confused, I was sad, so basically I was acting," Mrs Arvizo said.

After often becoming emotional on the witness stand on Wednesday, she was calmer yesterday answering questions from Mr Zonen.

But the woman wept when he showed four passports belonging to her and her children, which she alleged she had been forced to obtain after Mr Jackson’s aides told the family they would be going to Brazil. Mrs Arvizo said she had never been given the documents.

The case continues later today.

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